Newbie advice into starting modding

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

Let’s keep it simple.

  1. To start on a sk68 to change the led to xpg2 or xml etc, what tools I need. NON EXPENSIVE ONES!

2 To mod a sk68 and change driver and led, what tools do I need.

For the 2 posts above, any videos, tutorials that are easy?

Its about time I try to learn a new skill (if its not too costly)

2

Soldering iron, flux, solder. Absolute necessities. Just about everything else can be kludged together. Changing LEDs, drivers, spring mods, etc, it all starts with soldering.

3

Thanks. Any specific soldering iron specifications I need to know? I mean the cheapest that will work will be good…

4

Soldering is all about 3 things: right temperature, clean tip and flux. Get them right and always get a nice round solder blob.

As for the soldering iron, any 40W will work well, I recommend getting one that can easily get replacement tips. I use a relatively low power soldering/hot air SMD rework station for all led & driver reflow, and for soldering copper mcpcb into pills a blowtorch is a much quicker alternative.

Just one year ago I had zero soldering skills, but then was forced to learn in order to stack 7135 chips by myself :bigsmile:.

5
  • Soldering iron - 40 watt is a good range.
  • Good fine tip tweezers
  • Flux is helpful for making a better solder bond.
  • Thermal grease (for putting under the star). I prefer Arctic Silver 5.
  • Needle-nosed pliers. You’ll need this to unscrew the pill the from the light.

For your first mod, I recommend buying an LED already pre-mounted on a star. The Sipik 68 fits 16mm stars. Don’t get a loose unmounted LED. Those need to be reflowed onto a star. It’s not that hard to do, but not something I’d recommend for your first project.

Other tools I find helpful:

  • A headlamp to make the work more visible.
  • Soldering iron tip tinner and cleaner. These are little metal canisters with compound in them. Rub your hot soldering iron in them to refresh the tip. However, if your tip gets too worn you’ll need to file the tip down or replace it. On the upside, even a worn tip is still usable. I’m still using the original tip that came with my 20+ year-old iron (though admittedly soldering would be easier with a fresh tip).
  • a small hooked pick. Great for lifting up driver wires, etc.
  • A flat toothpick with a v-shaped notch in the end. Make this yourself with a small handfile. I use this to press the wire flat when soldering the driver wire to the star. Simple, effective, disposable, and doesn’t conduct heat out of what you’re soldering.
  • A small table vise for holding your project while you work on it. I have a set of helping hands, but find the vise is much more stable, holds bigger stuff and generally just works better.
  • Silicone 22 gauge wire in red and black. Use this stuff for the driver wires. Conducts well, and unlike the cheap pvc covers on the stock wires, the silicone wrap won’t melt.
  • Copper solder braid. Best method for removing solder if you accidentally misapply it.
  • A single AA battery carrier. I have a cheap one from Radio Shack. I soldered better wire to it. I use this for testing LEDS. Stick a cell in it, then touch the wires to the pads on the LED star. Can make sure everything is functioning properly before assembling the light.
  • Qtips and disposable alcohol lens wipes. Useful for cleaning the lens and LED domes.
6

the sk68 is not the easiest light to start with: the switch is virtually unservicable, there is usually not a great way to clamp the ledboard in place, and nice 15mm drivers are not to be found.

Starting your modding career with a Convoy tubestyle 18650 light will make life much easier, or for real budget, go for some $4.58 Ultrafire 602C's: servicable switch, 17mm driver, fairly ok quality for the price.

oh, until you have one you won't know how much you miss one of those needle nose pliers.

7

Good advice; the sk68 is a poor host to start your modding adventures.

8

Thanks for all the advices….Let’s get the stuff started by acquiring some equipements :stuck_out_tongue: I’m slow to build up my items/stuffs! So do not expect me to post modding threads soon :stuck_out_tongue:

@djozz: Is the quality of those pliers good? If its ok, I’ll order it right away…

Edit: Is this soldering iron ok? http://www.gearbest.com/rc-parts/pp_27702.html

9

I can’t personally speak for that unit, but for 10 bucks, I would suggest that it is 10 bucks down the toilet…

Do a search on BLF for soldering stations, there’s a few threads with known good units, that accept quality replacement tips.

10

For that price the pliers will not be great, but you do not need especially good quality pliers for screwing in/out retaining rings. There's quite a few of this type on Fasttech, I have another one that was under 5 dollar, and it works fine for the purpose. I filed the tips a bit to make them fit the average hole better.

11

Thanks for this thread.
I find myself in just about the same position.
Been lurking around in the forum for a year or two, mostly anonymously. I haven’t really got into modding yet, but it seems I might finally be catching the bug… :open_mouth:

Will follow this thread with interest.

12

Maybe these have been suggested by the other members above (I didn’t go through the thread) but here are my 2 cents:

  1. Common 60W soldering iron will do. You don’t really need an expensive soldering station just to work on a SK68, but you can buy one when you find yourself doing more and more of this soldering work. Also note that some really cheap soldering irons have no temperature control and the temperature will keep going up until the whole iron become burning red (near 1000 degree celsius?)! I know because I have one like that lol.

2. FLUX!! Flux is very important for good soldering finish, whether for beginners or even experts. Also take note that some flux are acidic and only mean for piping applications - if you use this kinda of acidic flux on electronic parts (i.e. flashlights) then it will corrode your circuit board, components and even your spring later on! I learn this in a hard way, so remember to only use flux which is only for electronic purposes.

3. Also you should always coat your soldering iron tip with solder.

4. Beside all that, a piece of wet sponge will come handy in cleaning your iron tip or cool down your components.

5. Use Helping Hands or just a small vise to fix your parts and components in position.

13

My favorite solder iron is only 18W, a mid-quality Antex with fine tip. I have a second 25W iron for soldering wires on ledboards. Anything requiring more heat than that I do with a propane torch. Note that the lower quality the iron is, the higher the power is needed to get a decent temperature at the tip.

There's also a 8 page version of this cartoon, search the internet for it.